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Dr. Arthur is working to improve the quality of life, overall health and longevity of adults diagnosed with cancer through nutrition. Her research focuses on the role of nutrition in determining health outcomes after cancer diagnosis and to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms. Her ultimate goal is to develop new and beneficial dietary recommendations and medical nutrition therapies for cancer patients and survivors. Dr. Arthur's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Kelly Bost is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and affiliate of the Family Resiliency Center and Department of Psychology. Her core research program examines the dynamic interplay between emotion processes and close relationships. She studies how children co-construct beliefs about relationships through the nature and quality of interactions with family members and peers, and how early attachment security and child temperament impact the development of (mal) adaptive emotion regulation strategies and stress responses across development. Her research program incorporates longitudinal designs using multi-method and multi-level approaches and has been funded by NIH and NSF. Dr. Bost is also an investigator on the STRONG KIDS 2 (SK2) birth cohort study which examines genetic and environmental phenotypes predictive of unhealthful eating, weight, and health trajectories. Her work in this area focuses on how family mealtime environments, parent-child attachment histories, and the emotion-cognition interface may influence the development of pediatric obesity and behavioral regulation. With SK2 collaborators, Dr. Bost also examines gene x environment interactions that confer risk for physical and mental health outcomes.

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Dr. Donovan received her PhD in Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. She served as Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences between 1999 and 2009 and as Director of the Graduate Dietetic Internship from 2008-2014. Dr. Donovan teaches both basic and advanced nutrition classes to undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. Donovan has over 130 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters, and receives grant support from the National Institutes of Health, the United States Department of Agriculture, and other various programs within the food and pharmaceutical industries. Her research efforts have been recognized with several awards from both national and international organizations, and her graduate students have been the recipients of prestigious fellowships, scholarships and awards for their research accomplishments. Dr. Donovan's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Ebata’s general interest is in developing and evaluating outreach programs for parents and professionals that provide support for families under stress. He is involved in conducting applied research; developing educational outreach programs for families; and providing training and resources for professionals who work with children, youth, and families. Dr. Ebata received a PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Ebata's complete bio can be found here.

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An Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Dr. Ferguson's research focuses on 21st-century globalization and its impact on the cultural identity and well-being of adolescents and emerging adults. She also explores modern acculturation among immigrant (tridimensional acculturation) and non-immigrant (remote acculturation) youth and families, Caribbean adolescents and families on the islands and in North America, and positive adaptation of immigrant youth and families (psychological, physical, and academic adjustment). Dr. Ferguson's complete bio can be found here.

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A Professor of Medicine, Health Policy, and Administration, Dr. Fitzgibbon's research has focused primarily on health risk reduction interventions in minority and underserved populations. She has conducted obesity prevention trials with preschool children and their parents as well as obesity treatment interventions with women. Dr. Fitzgibbon has received consistent federal funding through the National Institutes of Health for over a decade and is regularly published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Fitzgibbon's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Jodi Flaws is a professor in comparative biosciences, and her research focuses on determining the mechanisms by which environmental chemicals, such as pesticides and plasticizers, affect the development and function of the ovary. Her research is funded by grants from the NIH and EPA. She has published over 190 peer-reviewed papers and mentored 26 graduate students, 9 postdoctoral fellows, 6 veterinary medical students, and 21 undergraduate students. Dr. Flaws served as president of the Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology Specialty Section for SOT. She currently serves as an associate editor for several journals: Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Environmental Health Perspectives, Toxicological Sciences, and Reproductive Toxicology. She has served on numerous NIH study sections that review reproductive toxicology grant applications. Dr. Flaws' complete bio can be found here.

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Rachel A. Gordon is a Professor of Sociology and Faculty Fellow of the Honors College at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a faculty member of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois. Gordon's research broadly aims to measure and model the contexts of children and families' lives, often using longitudinal data sets. Gordon has received a wide range of funding for her research and engagement activities, including research grants from the U.S. Department of Education (Institute of Education Sciences), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture (Research and Innovation Development Grants in Economics in the Economic Research Service), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation), and the U.S. Department of Labor (evaluation contract through Jobs for Youth/Chicago) as well as engagement-related grants from the Foundation for Child Development, MacArthur Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation. Dr. Gordon's complete bio can be found here.

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An Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Grigsby-Toussaint focusses her research on integrating measures of social and built environments into disease models with the goal of effectively addressing the impact of disease risk in ethnic minority and vulnerable populations. Her long-term goal is to use these models to develop targeted programs that consider the individual-level risk factors associated with the onset of disease within the context of social and environmental influences. Dr. Grigsby-Toussaint's complete bio can be found here.

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The Soybean Industry Endowed Professor of Agricultural Strategy in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, Dr. Gundersen's research is primarily focused on the causes and consequences of food insecurity, and evaluations of food assistance programs with a particular emphasis on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He received his PhD from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Gundersen's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Hannah Holscher received her BS in Food Science and Human Nutrition and her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Illinois. She is also a Registered Dietitian, having completed clinical training at Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, Illinois. Dr. Holscher joined the University of Illinois faculty as an Assistant Professor in June 2015. As Director of the Nutrition and the Human Microbiome Laboratory, her research team aims to enhance human health through dietary modulation of the gastrointestinal microbiome. In addition to serving as a research mentor for undergraduate and graduate students, she has taught both basic and advanced nutrition classes and has been included on the "List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by their Students" five times for two different courses at the University of Illinois. Dr. Holscher has published in top nutrition journals including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the Journal of Nutrition. She has also served in leadership roles at both the local and national level, including the FSHN Ambassadors and the American Society for Nutrition, respectively. Dr. Holscher's complete bio can be found here.

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Robin L. Jarrett is a Professor of African-American Studies, Human Development, and Family Studies. Her research focuses on coping strategies of low-income African-American families and children in inner-city neighborhoods, organized youth programs and youth development, and health practices among inner-city African American families. Dr. Jarrett's complete bio can be found here.

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A Professor of Integrative Immunology and Behavior in Department of Animal Sciences and Director of Division of Nutritional Sciences, Dr. Johnson currently studies the effects of nutrition on brain development, function, and aging. Part of his research focuses on how diet influences the communication between the immune system and brain. He received his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and completed postdoctoral training at Iowa State University. Dr. Johnson's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Juraska and her students examine hormonal influences on neuronal structure across the lifespan. Their emphasis is on cognitive parts of the rat brain, such as the cerebral cortex, corpus callosum and hippocampus, and on cognitive behavior. Her current projects are on the neural and behavioral changes during puberty and adolescence and the effects of endocrine disruptors (BPA, phthalates) on the early development of the nervous system and behavior. Dr. Juraska's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Naiman Khan's research interest is in the area of nutritional neuroscience. His laboratory utilizes a multidisciplinary approach to integrate knowledge in the disciplines of dietetics, body composition, and cognitive neuroscience to understand the interactions between lifestyle behaviors (e.g., diet and physical activity), abdominal adiposity, and cognitive and brain health in the pediatric and adult population. The knowledge gained from this work is used to develop effective behavioral or environmental strategies of mitigating the detrimental effects of obesity and metabolic risk on measures of physical and mental health. Dr. Khan's complete bio can be found here.

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Professor Klonoff-Cohen serves as the Saul J. Morse and Anne B. Morgan Professor in Applied Health Sciences, and Director of the MPH program. Professor Klonoff-Cohen integrates biological, behavioral, cultural, and socio-political aspects of disease and disease prevention. She is particularly interested in women and infants’ health and cancer epidemiology. With research funding for the past two decades, she has investigated the role of sperm exposure, smoking, and stress in preeclampsia; the consequences of passive tobacco smoke exposure and breastfeeding, parental drug use, and bed-sharing on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; the timing of the menstrual cycle during surgery on prognosis of premenopausal breast cancer; and the effects of lifestyle habits on in vitro fertilization endpoints, including pregnancy, miscarriage, and birth defects. Her current research focuses on the barriers, concerns, successes, and risks of fertility preservation in girls and women of reproductive age with cancer, late effects and risky behaviors among childhood cancer survivors, and training of primary care physicians about caring for cancer survivors. Dr. Klonoff-Cohen's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Laurie Kramer is Professor Emerita of Applied Family Studies in the Department of Human Development and family studies. Kramer was the Founding Director of the Family Resiliency Center and led initiatives aimed at enhancing the well-being of children, youth and families through multidisciplinary research, education and outreach. Kramer earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois in 1989 and performed her residency at Northwestern University Medical School. She is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in the State of Illinois. Kramer served as the Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the University of Illinois College of ACES between 2007-2016. Dr. Kramer's complete bio can be found here.

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Reed W. Larson is a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research focuses on positive development and the daily experience of adolescents. He has conducted research on adolescents’ media use, time alone, experience with friends, and school experience. Read more about Dr. Larson's research on youth development at: www.youthdev.illinois.edu. His complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Lee joined the faculty in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois in 2001. During her tenure, she has taught two sensory science courses, for which she has received various teaching awards and recognitions. Her research is supported by the grants received from the USDA, Illinois Soybean Association, and private industry. Dr. Lee received her PhD in Food Science at the University of California, Davis, in 2001. Dr. Lee's complete bio can be found here.

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Professor Liechty holds a joint appointment with the School of Social Work and College of Medicine. Her research and practice interests are in exploring the psychosocial dimensions of health, wellness, chronic conditions and disabilities, and how the processes of growth and healing leading to greater quality of life. Dr. Liechty has worked for over 14 years as a licensed social worker in hospitals, clinics, and health promotion programs with families and adolescents, adults with developmental and physical disabilities, and persons with chronic illness. She received her PhD in Family Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Liechty's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. McBride is the Director of the Child Development Laboratory and a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies. His primary research interests include university-based laboratory schools as a context for child development research, the role of child care contexts on childhood obesity and nutritional status, the impact of paternal involvement in families of children with disabilities on maternal and child outcomes, and the antecedents and consequences of father involvement. He received his PhD in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. McBride's complete bio can be found here.

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Jennifer McCaffrey is the Assistant Dean for the Family and Consumer Sciences programs at University of Illinois Extension. In her position she focuses on building healthier families by providing statewide leadership for Extension programs in nutrition, family relationships, and personal finance. With over 13 years working in nutrition education, she has extensive experience in developing and implementing programs for low income families and currently oversees two federal grants that provide nutrition education for low income families throughout Illinois. She loves the opportunity to work collaboratively with community partners to address health issues and is passionate about building systems to help Illinois residents live a healthy lifestyle. Dr. McCaffrey's complete bio can be found here.

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An Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Dr. McElwain's research is focused on the physiological and neural correlates of emotion regulation, child-parent attachment and children’s social-emotional competence, maternal speech prosody and mother-child interaction, parental socialization of emotion, family-peer linkages, and children's friendships. She received her PhD in Psychology from the University of Michigan. Dr. McElwain's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Nelson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Advertising. Her research, professional marketing communication experience, and teaching focus primarily on international advertising and consumer behavior. She has conducted research, taught, and worked in Austria, Denmark and England. Nelson has published more than 50 book chapters and articles in leading journals such as the Journal of Advertising, the International Journal of Advertising, and the Journal of Advertising Research. In addition to 15 years of teaching, Nelson also brings professional experience in nonprofit, trade, and high-tech organizations. Dr. Nelson's complete bio can be found here.

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Elizabeth Powers is an Associate Professor of Economics and a faculty member of the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to joining the University of Illinois in 1996, Dr. Powers was an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and a junior staff economist with President George H.W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. Dr. Powers has conducted research and outreach on welfare reform, means-tested aid for the elderly and disabled, subsidized child care, and the service system for individuals with developmental disabilities. She has been the recipient of grants from the Joint Centers for Poverty Research at Northwestern and Kentucky, the Social Security Administration, the Russel Sage Foundation, and the University of Michigan’s Retirement Research Consortium, among others. Dr. Powers complete bio can be found here.

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A Professor for the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Dr. Raffaelli's research is focused on the developmental risk and resilience among diverse populations (e.g., homeless and impoverished Brazilian youth, children of divorce, immigrant families), adaptation and well-being of rural Latino youth and families, and gender-related socialization in Latino families. She received her PhD in Psychology in Human Development from the University of Chicago in 1990. Dr. Raffaelli's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Schantz's research focuses on understanding the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on nervous system function during development and aging, two periods when the nervous system is particularly vulnerable to toxic insult. Her approach includes laboratory-based animal studies and parallel epidemiological studies. One aspect of her research program is mechanistically based, focusing on understanding the specific functional domains that are altered or impaired by these chemicals and the biological mechanisms underlying those impairments. Dr. Schantz's complete bio can be found here.

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A Professor Emerita in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Dr. Shapiro helped plan with Doris Kelley Christopher the ways that her gifts of over $12 million could be used for a new campus building, a campus-community lecture series, seed money for faculty grants and graduate student fellowships, and an endowed chair. She also initiated efforts that resulted in the building of the Early Child Development Laboratory. Her research, resulting in five books and dozens of articles, focuses on the emotional impact of problems in reproductive health, especially infertility and pregnancy loss. Dr. Shapiro received her PhD from Cornell University. Dr. Shapiro's complete bio can be found here.

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A Professor in the Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism, Professor Stodolska's research focuses on leisure behavior of ethnic and racial minorities and on constraints on leisure. She explores subjects such as the effects of race and ethnicity on leisure behavior of recent immigrants, issues of cultural change and adaptation among minority groups, and transnationalism. She received her PhD in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Alberta. Dr. Stodolska's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Teran-Garcia obtained her MDD from the National University Autonomous of Mexico and did her pediatric residency at the National Institute of Pediatrics in Mexico. In 2001, she received her PhD in Metabolism/Nutrient-Gene Interactions from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Teran-Garcia has experience in clinical nutrition, nutrigenetics, and childhood obesity. In August of 2008, she joined the faculty of Food Science and Human Nutrition as an Assistant Professor in Nutrition. Dr. Teran-Garcia's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Wiley is the Director of the Child Care Resiliency Programs at the Child Care Resource and Referral Service. Dr. Wiley’s research addresses factors related to resilience among diverse families in a variety of contexts and the evaluation of programs designed to support resilience. She works with families to help identify challenges and strengths related to parenting and parent-child relationships. Dr. Wiley's complete bio can be found here.

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Dr. Wirtz received a PhD in Mass Communication in 2009 from the University of Minnesota. After completing his PhD, Wirtz was Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University for three years, before joining the Department of Advertising at the College of Media. Wirtz’s research focuses on the intersection of interpersonal communication and mass media content. Dr. Wirtz's complete bio can be found here.